Elves are common in Arvor, and were once the most numerous species on the continent. Legend has it that all elves descended from the Eladrin, fey who made their home in our world. Elven societies were highly advanced until they were ruined by the events of The Cataclysm. At that time, most elves were living in ancestral settlements thousands of years old. Sadly, none of these settlements survived the terror, and the elves were scattered to the wind.
Elven Subspecies
High Elves
High Elves descend from the elves who settled in the mountains and hills. Their line is believed to be closer to their Eladrin progenitors. Owing perhaps to their connection to the fey, most high elven societies fostered little attachment to material things, and instead focused on knowledge and mastery of magic.
Once the most numerous group of elves, their great cities and academies were obliterated by the eruption of the Razortooth Mountains. At present, high elves most often live in towns or cities with universities and guilds devoted to mastery of the arcane arts where their ancestors moved to make new lives.
Wood Elves
The most common elves of Arvor, wood elves descend from ancestral settlements in the Greenvine Forest. While the old wood elf societies were closed and secretive, today they live scattered among the settlements of others. Many wood elves deeply revere nature and take only those resources which they need to survive.
Drow
The rarest of the elves are the Children of Twilight, also known as the drow. The drow descend from the elves who settled deep underground. After generations hidden from sunlight, the drow adapted to life in the dark. The cataclysmic events of ages past were most unkind to the drow, who found their cavernous cities crushed beneath tons of stone.
Drow aren’t often encountered on the surface, preferring to live in caverns deep beneath the mountains. There they farm rare materials from subterranean beasts to sell to surface-dwellers. In these underground locales, the drow and their associates speak an offshoot of Elvish called Undercommon.
Sea Elves
Sea Elves are adapted for life underwater: with gills, fins, and tolerance for the temperatures of the deep. Sea Elves come from Thalos, where they live in isolation and secrecy. The elves of Thalos survived the Cataclysm thanks to a powerful protective artifact, and blame arcanists for their city's collapse into the sea. As a result, many sea elves abhor the use of arcane magic – this sets them apart from their fellow elves.
Elven Culture
Perspective of Longevity
Elves live for a long time – much longer than any other humanoid species. This lifespan is reflected in their rituals, routines, and even speech. Elves are fond of flowery speech, taking their time to make their points. Elven decision-making processes often stretch for long periods as well, prioritizing consensus over decisiveness. Elves often throw themselves fully into hobbies and vocations, practicing for many years to hone their skills.
Many elves take little interest in worldly affairs. Instead, they seek out the world's natural wonders and arcane mysteries. All elves share a common ancestor, but pre-cataclysm settlements led to diverging lines with subtly different cultures.
Funeral Rituals
Traditionally, elves believe that the most noble fate after death is to return their corporeal form to the forest, that they may provide for the trees and thus their descendants. The traditional funerary ritual is to be buried at the edge of the forest with an acorn in hand. Those present repeat the blessing “may they grow into a mighty tree.”
It's said that this is why elves are reluctant to fell trees unless it's absolutely necessary. Their ancestors gave their essences to feed those trees, and to cut trees frivolously would dishonor them.
Respect for Nature
Elves demonstrate respect for the natural world and its bounty, especially their ancestral forests, taking only what is needed. While Wood Elf societies are extreme in this regard, it is a common pattern among all elves.
Nations of Houses
The Elven ancestral house is of greater importance than any civic institution. A household adopts the House Name of its eldest member, who is considered head of household. It is rare for a household's eldest child to marry someone older, as this reduces the influence of their House.
Government
The traditional elven government is a gerontocracy. Communities are governed by a senate (Saelrohradh, or "many wise people") comprised of the oldest member of every ancestral house. The eldest member of the senate is the First Speaker, and is responsible for facilitating meetings. The senate has a precise speaking order – beginning with the oldest senator and working toward the youngest, then working from the youngest back to the oldest. The First Speaker is entitled to speak at any time. The speaking order is reversed during the Spring season, and the role of First Speaker is taken up by the youngest member of the body (the Burgeon).
Saelrohradh are slow decision-making bodies, and govern by consensus. When the body believes consensus has been reached, the First Speaker calls for voices of dissent. If the dissent is not obviously small after much discussion, then a vote may be called, requiring a supermajority. The Saelrohradh takes up for discussion only broad issues that affect the entire community. Other issues are left to the houses to manage independently. Saelrohradh traditionally meet in the days following the full moon. In extraordinary circumstances (war, natural disasters, or other emergencies) a meeting of the body can be called by agreement of three of its four most senior members.
The Wardens are the city's protectors as well as its most skilled hunters. Every house selects one member to be their Warden, who is responsible for training the younger families to hunt and fight.
